1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a microwave generator with a short-circuit spark gap between collinearly arranged spark gap electrodes.
The function of such a generator is based on the fact that a high voltage source, for example an array of capacitors which is charged up in parallel in accordance with the principle of the Marx impulse voltage circuit and then connected in series is discharged by way of a spark gap. Such a discharge operation leads to a current flow which is initiated steeply and oscillates strongly, and thus affords correspondingly wide-band emission of a microwave spectrum of such high energy density that, in the more immediate proximity of such a microwave generator, radio communication is at least impaired and an electronic circuit, in particular at the input side, can be damaged or even destroyed.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,378 A to switch over arrays of capacitors by way of spark gap switches, as the high voltage source, in that case for generating an electromagnetic pulse for the simulation of a real nuclearly triggered impulse. In order on the other hand to emit microwave energy into a waveguide, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,528 for an electrode which is of a cambered bottle-shaped configuration in contour to be arranged to project with its convex bottom end transversely into the waveguide in order thereby to form a spark gap with the wall region, in opposite relationship thereto, of the waveguide. The end of the bottleneck, which in contrast is flat, projects as an electrode of a further spark gap designed as a pulse shaper, into a cavity filled with protective gas. The counterpart electrode thereof, which is also flat, forms the end of the inner conductor of a coaxial arrangement which is mounted on the waveguide transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent thereof. The inner conductor thereof is charged up in opposite relationship to the spark gap by means of an additional spark gap serving as a switch and by way of a pulse shaper as well as a series resistor from a high voltage dc source, so that upon discharge firstly the pulse-shaping spark gap and then the microwave-generating spark gap are caused to respond.
In accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,311 A the development of a steep voltage wave front is influenced by electron beams. DE 35 28 338 C1 describes fast explosive-operated magnetic field compression for current amplification for a magnetic field effective as a non-lethal weapon. A comparable technology is used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,545 A for a compact intensive radiation source. Because of the possibility of affecting radio connections the effect of intensive microwave emission as a non-lethal weapon is propagated against enemy communication systems (see DER SPIEGEL, Issue July 1997, pages 53 ff, there the end of paragraph 3 of the left-hand column on page 54).